A Wonderful Donation

This week the Brown Library Archives received an exciting new addition from one of our alums. Beverly (Bajt) Kopman, a 1966 graduate from St. Joseph College of Nursing (SJCN), donated her St. Joseph Hospital nurse cape and cap. Both pieces are in excellent condition and are welcomed additions to the St. Joseph College of Nursing collection. 

Cape donated by alumna Beverly Kopman
The cape is wool with a dark navy and red color scheme. Along the collar is“STJH” in gold stitched letters, which stands for St. Joseph Hospital. Inside the left-hand flap are Mrs. Kopman’s initials “B.A.B” in white and black stitching. The white cap was awarded during a “capping ceremony,” which occurred before students began their hospital training.

Nurse's cap donated by alumna
Beverly Kopman
Detail shots of gold lettering on
cape's collar and inside flap
The cape was used by nursing students beginning in the 1920s, when the SJCN was first established. Course affiliation with the College of St. Francis occurred in 1935. The nursing hospital ran freely with affiliations with numerous colleges, until it became a division of CSF and took on the Allied Health Programs. In 1998, CSF gained university status was formalized and the division was renamed the College of Nursing and Allied Health. It is currently named the Leach College of Nursing after long-time USF supporters, Cecily & John Leach. 
Graduating class of 1953 walking with
capes and caps in Downtown Joliet
This donation joins the other 30+ items of clothing in the St. Joseph College of Nursing collection, which also houses administrative papers, photographs, and other wonderful material. The collection is available to view at the LaVerne and Dorothy Brown Library. 



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